Author: vnommensen

This summer I’ve had the great pleasure of becoming an “Apigeek.” Being about 10 weeks into my internship, I can confidently take pride in being called an “Apigeek.” “Apigeek” is the term we use around here to call ourselves; given our hard-working drive and geeky personalities. It is something everyone takes pride in, regardless of what their function in the company is. In fact, the Mayor of San Jose, Sam Liccardo, recently visited our San Jose Headquarters and after the label “Apigeek” was mentioned, all 150 of us in attendance quietly laughed. The radio show host then commented on the fact that none of us seem to be ashamed of the title, in which we all burst into laughter, because we know it to be true.

Besides being able to join a company that is very proud of who they are, I have also been blown away by the team environment and collaboration across functions and teams. Personally, I’ve had the privilege of working amongst the Finance team, who are in constant collaboration mode through which they tackle various tasks on a daily basis. Every Apigeek takes on a certain role, and plays a part in the big picture. I’ve had an amazing coach and mentor (Thanks Stephanie!) who has taken me under her wings and guided me.

Since I am only one of two non-engineering interns in our group of 16 interns, I’ve had my fair share of listening time to some very brilliant engineering intern conversations. While I try my best to understand some of the more technical things they speak of, it’s unfortunately not always easy. What I have been able to take away is even amongst the engineering interns, everyone is constantly communicating with each other regarding the status of their projects. As I look around the kitchen during lunch, my conclusions are only confirmed as full time employees are sharing lunch with others across different teams and functions, engaging in thoughtful conversations.

I have found our monthly “All-Hands” meetings one of the most eye-opening experiences that we have at Apigee. Chet leads these meetings in the Kitchen, and all employees in San Jose come down and attend. No matter your role in the company, Chet finds ways to make you feel valued, important, and empowered. I love these gatherings as I feel it is a brilliant way to keep the company moving forward and most importantly, moving forward as a team of Apigeeks.

While I have a few weeks left of my internship, I’d like to thank Apigee for the opportunity to join such an amazing group of people for the course of this summer. I’ve taken so much away, and definitely felt like I was a part of something big. I can’t wait to continue watching Apigee grow and succeed, even if it may not always be from the inside. Thanks so much Apigee!